Life preserver



March 8, A1927.

W. WILSON LIFE PREsERvER Filed June 19, 1926 INVENTOR ATTORNEY ITNESS:

vPatented Mar. 8, 1927.

UNITED STA-TES PATENT OFFICE.

LIFE PRESERVER.

Application filed June 19,

This invention relates to improvements in' life preservers.

The primary object of the invention resides in a life preserver whichmay be collapsed when not in use and carried in the pocket or bag of atourist on a sea voyage for use in an emergency against drowning, andwhich may be made ready for use in quick time. i

. Another object of the invention is to provide a life preserver of theinflatable type and which may be inflated by a user under the surface ofthe water, without fear of water entering the buoyant elements.

Another object is to provide an emergency life preserver which wheninflated for use is capable of supporting a relatively heavy body uponthe surface of the water.

A further object is the provision of a life preserver which is simple inconstruction, easy to assemble for use or collapse when not in use, andinexpensive of manufacture.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention resides in certainnovel construction and combination and arrangement of parts, theessential features of which are hereinafter fully described, areparticularly pointed out in thel appended claims, and are illustrated inthe accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of myimproved life preserver ready for use.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view therethrough.

Figure 3 is a detail sectional view on the li'ne 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of the device when ina collapsed condition.

Figure 5 is a detail perspective view of the coat-ting locking meansbetween the two closure sections.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, 10 designates my improvedlife prescrver in its entirety and which includes a valve casing 11having a longitudinal bore 12 therein, with which a transverse bore 13communicates. Headed sleeves 14 thread into the opposed ends of the bore12 for clamping the open ends of a pair of balloons or bladders 15 and16 to the casing for estat)lishingcommunication between the bore 12 andthe interior of the respective balloons. The balloons or bladders are ofoval shape to provide sufficient support for the body of a person whenlying thereon. Also clamped 1926. Serial yNo. 117,117.

by the heads of the sleeves 14 are oval shaped nets 17 whichrespectively surround the balloons to limit inflation of the same and toretain them in proper shape.

Carried at the outer ends ofthe balloons are metallic shell members 18and 19 which co-act as shown in Figure 4 of the drawing, to enclose thestructure when in a deflated condition and not in use. Each shell memberis supported by clamping the net 17 between the` inner walls of themembers and disks 19 by passingscrews 20 through the respective membersand into threaded recesses in the disks 19.

For simultaneously inflating the opposed balloons, I provide the casing11 with an opening 21 in the top wall of the bore 13.k

Mounted within the bore 13 rearward of the opening 21 is a valve disk 22having openings 23 therein while supported on the back of said disk is aflat flexible flap valve 24, adapted to normally close the openings 23to prevent the escape of air from the bal loons during and afterinflation of the same.

For normally closing the opening 21 in the valve casing to preventaccidental entering of water into the balloon when the device is in use,I provide a pivoted closure member 25, normally held closed by a spring26, and which member is operable to an open position by a biting actionon the part of a person upon a raised tail 27. From the description thusfar, it will be seen that when y the sections 18 and 19 are separated,the user inserts the mouth piece of the casing 12 in his or her mouthand bites upon the tail 27,` to lift the closure member 25, .to uncoverthe opening 21 and blows air into the casing through the said opening21, openings 23 in the valve disk, which causes the valve 24 to unseat,thus permitting an equal amount of air to pass through the opposite endsof the duct 12 into the balloons, until the same are fully inllated. Inorder to deflate the balloons to permit of the collapsing of the device7the sleeves 14 are unscrewed from the valve casing by grasping thesquare heads of the same and turning them, it being understood that thethickness of the walls of the balloon cover the head. I/Vhen fullyunscrewed, the air in the ballo-ons will imme` diately exhaust, afterwhich the same may again be connected with the valvev casing bythreading the sleeves therewith. It might be here stated that thesleeves 14 are fixedly connected with the balloons to prevent of theirseparation and to provide'an-air proof joint betiveen the same. Afterexhausting the air from the balloons, the two shell mein-- bers may bebrought together to enclose the same.

For locking the shell sections in a closed position, I provideoppositely disposed slots 29 in the shell section 18 for the receptionof the bills of a pair of pivoted clamping hook members 30 respectivelyycarried by pivoted levers liniounted Withinthe Walls of slots 82provided in the" section 1S; Foren'ecting the connection of' the shellmembers,r the levers 3l are' swungoutward,` causing the expansioniofthehoolimembers `30 to perm-it of their reception in the slots 29, afterwhich the levers are pushed dori'nto seat Within the walls' of the slots32. causing the hook` members to pull the' two shell membersinto tightvengagement with each other- For rmlockingand separating;v the shellmembers, the levers are again lifted to permit tbe hooks to be Withdrawnfrom the; slots29.

Fromtheforegoing description; it'will be' seenthat I have providedanvemerge'ncy lif" preserver whichA isfo'ldable into a compact casesoasitoperi'n-it'the article tobc carried in the pocket orfbag of aperson'wlientaking sea trips for emergency purposes against drowning;The' deviceisso constructed' as to be puiclly assembled for use by anin-l dividual Should an emergency arise, in a manner s-iInilar to thatjust described.

llVhile I have described what I deem to be the mosty desirableembodiment of my invention, it is" obvious'that many of the details maybe varied without in any Way departing from the spirit ofmyinventiom-and I therefore ldo not' limit myself to the'exact detailsofconstruction herein set forth nor to anything less thanthewhole of myinvention limited onlybyl the appended claims.

Whatis claimed -asvnew is:-

1. A life preserver comprising a pair' of inflatable members,netssurrounding said inflatable' members for limitinginflationl of thesame and for confining said members to the shape of said nets, means forallowing said inflatable members to b-e inflated simultaneously, meansfor retaining said inflatable members in inflated condition andco-acting means carried by said inflatable members for housing the samein a collapsed condition.

2. A life preserver comprising a pair of oppositely disposed infiatablemembers, a casing? interposed betweenl said inflatable members forsupportingl the latteryand co-A acting shellmembers carried by the outerends of said inflatable members for housing the inflatable members whenin acollapsed condition.

3*. A lifepreservcr comprising a pair of'v oppositely disposedinflatable members', a casing interposed between said inflatablemembersfor supportingthe latter, and coacting shell members carried bythe outer endsof said inflatable membersior housing the inflatablemembers Wlienina collapsed condition, and eo-actingfmeans between saidshell members for locking thesame in tight engagement with each other.

4l. Ar lifev preserver compris-ing a` casingl having a duct thereinopening onto a mouthpiece provided thereon, a pair of oppositelydisposed inflatable members, means for removably supporting saidinflatable niembers upon said casing in communication with said duct',af valve normally closing the' entrance 'of said duct'and operable to anopen position'by a biting action on the partof an" operator Wh'enthemouthpiece is inserted inv the mouth for inflation of said inflatablemembers, andla check valve Within said duct forpreventing the escape ofair fromsaid' members after the saine has been blown therein by theoperator, and c'o-acting shell members carried by the ends of' saidinflatable members for housing said inflatable members when in adeflated condition.

In testimony whereof I= have' affixed my signature.

WiLLmM WILSON-

